Turnabout Mega Buster
by BubbleJasmineTea
Summary: When the city isn't being attacked by Dr. Wily, it's a pretty peaceful place. The robots go about their jobs, humans come and go... and then the murders start to happen. Looks like there's only one Attorney who can take the job... and a good bunch of robots.
1. Falling Star, Rising Star

[A/N This was originally published by me on another site, but due to complications… it's now here! Prepare yourselves, this is going to be a long fic when I'm done with it. Also… I'm probably going to have a slow update schedule because SCHOOL. Okay, so enjoy the prologue y'all.]

Dr. Light Labs - Computer Room

September 28th, 3:26 AM

Elec Man had been up since 2 AM that morning. With his systems running slowly, he desperately needed to shut down for a while, for them to cool off and reboot. He sipped a warmed E-Tank, waiting for the computer to boot up. He blinked slowly with half-lidded eyes, watching the progress bar slowly move. The black, yellow, and red robot was a master of electricity, as his name implied. He even wore a mask-like piece over his face, with the top section having been designed in the shape of a lightning bolt. Another stylized electric design embossed his chest, making it obvious to those who didn't know him as one high-voltage bot.

(Thank God I'm so much more advanced than this primitive machine…)

For whatever reason, he just couldn't shut down that night. There had been a rather clear, bright night, with the largest full moon anyone had seen in years. Unfortunately, that same light had kept tripping Elec Man's visual sensors, meaning that no matter what he tried, his systems refused to turn off. So he had headed downstairs for a drink and something to do.

He pulled out a cord from the desk cabinet, plugging it into his head and into a port on the computer. He sighed in relief as some of the electricity from the computer flowed into him, giving a small amount of energy. Finally, the computer finished starting up, giving him the screen to enter his password. Since he couldn't shut down that night, he had figured that he might as well update his blog. He glanced at the digital clock in the corner as he went to the webpage. Roughly 3 AM, plus a few seconds. He saw an alert in the corner of his vision - just a message about low energy, blah blah blah - but ignored it and started to type.

Entry No. 305 – 03:27 AM

6-25-20XX

Hmmmph. Another sleepless night for me. I really must ask Dr. Light for some blackout curtains... the moonlight unfortunately floods my room at night. Honestly, it's terrible lying there... it's so bright you could read small print with ease. But, even then, I usually just cover my face with a pillow and I'm just fine. However, something kept running through my mind, something I can't quite place. Almost like a dream... but not really. Some strange gut instinct, I suppose... I don't know why I felt like that. I don't believe there's anything wrong with me, as I just had maintenance yesterday. Ah well. It might just be a strange sixth sense, or my sensors overreacting. My systems are in desperate need of a shutdown, so I'll probably be absent for most of today while I rest.

Reading it once over, he hit the submit button. While the page was updating, the alert started to countdown in the corner of his vision. He didn't realize his systems were forcing a shutdown until he slumped over the keyboard, knocking over his E-Tank. It spilled onto the clean, almost spotless floor below. From nearby, Tango slipped out of the hallway to eagerly lap it up.

Elsewhere, on nearly the other side of the planet, someone else had a drink in hand and was feeling particularly exhausted.

Except they were perfectly human.

Wright Anything Agency

September 27th, 8:16 PM

Laying down on the couch of his law firm, coffee in hand, was the defense attorney Phoenix Wright. He was all alone, watching the sun set just outside the window in a brilliant display of colors. The fading light from the star glinted off his attorney's pin, standing out among his blue outfit. Well... technically he wasn't quite alone. Athena and Apollo were passed out nearby, tired out from the trial they had successfully completed. Athena, a very cheerful lady with an outfit to match, was curled up in a chair, like a normal human being. Apollo, however...

(I really shouldn't laugh, the kid's had a long day, but... I did have to take at least one picture, ahaha...)

Apollo was asleep face-down on the soft carpet, snoring. His outfit was slightly undone, making it look like he had just laid down after a fight or something, and just fell asleep right on the spot. He'd actually fallen off the other couch in the area without even waking up, which somehow was even funnier to Wright. His thoughts distracted him from his sleeping form though.

(That's right... I got that letter from him.)

He pulled out a piece of paper out of his suit, opening it up.

Dear Phoenix,

Thank you for asking how my trip's been going. There's plenty of tea and noodle shops here, so Gumshoe and I are surviving. The cuisine is actually a lot like home. It seems like you, Athena, and Apollo are the only ones who haven't decided to take a trip here, though. Just yesterday I ran into Larry Butz hitting on this poor long-haired lady. Gumshoe had to stop him from going after her – apparently she already has a boyfriend. Let's just say I won't be thrilled if we run into him again. This city though... there's a reason why everyone says it's truly advanced. Everywhere I look, there's robots. It's almost like that one episode of the Steel Samurai... and it makes me wonder if that lady was a robot too. Some of them are quite humanoid... maybe there's even robotic lawyers. But I digress. I have to leave off here, as the good detective is currently bugging me to finish up so we can go get some dinner. I promised him to get him something nicer than just ramen noodles.

From,

Miles Edgeworth

Phoenix finished his coffee, setting the mug down on the table. He honestly would have loved to join Edgeworth there, even if it meant running into Larry. He picked up a stack of important papers next to his mug, sighing.

He just so happened to get that wish granted very soon.


	2. Daybreak

[A/N Okay, so that last chapter was just an establishing shot. Now here comes some actual content… though no murders yet! :3 Hopefully this doesn't drag on too long for you, as I very much love suspense.]

Dr. Light Labs – Computer Room

September 28th, 10:18 AM

"Hey...? Hey! ELEEEEEEEC! WAKE UP!"

"Hnghhh... wha..." He slowly blinked awake, shaking his head to clear a few slow circuits, then sat straight up in shock. The clock in the computer told him that it was currently 10:18, meaning that he'd been out for quite some time.

"Elec? You okay? You don't need to have maintenance done, right?" The robot who had woken him up was poking him, his expression a mix of eagerness and worry. "Although... I assume that you just had yet another a sleepless night."

The small robot was a light blue color, with what appeared to be artic boots and gloves. A white, fluffy frill around its face made it resemble a heavy parka, along with an odd belt-like object around its waist. There was something that seemed like a coolant tank on its back, which was connected to the base of its neck via a slightly translucent, ribbed tube. Its eyes were wide, full of a certain childish wonderment, full of innocence. One got the sense that this robot could truly do no harm to anyone, even if threatened.

Spinning around to face him in the leather-covered swivel chair with his arms crossed, Elec responded "Ice Man... yeah. Once again, the fabulous me couldn't shut down," he tilted his head as he spoke, glancing at an off-color spot on the ground. "Hmmph. Did I spill my E-Tank again?"

"Yes, sir..." Ice giggled, raising his small, gloved hands to his mouth to stifle it. He was talking to Elec Man, after all. "It's kind of a funny story, though... Tango kept licking my face last night, and lying on top of me quite restless. From his breath, I could tell that he'd drank an E-Tank... that, and the evident fact of him being quite energized. Long story short, I went into the hallway, assuming you would have been up. Less than a minute later, I found you passed out in front of the computer." Smiling, he added, "And, well, that's about it, sir!"

Elec looked surprised for a second, then regained his chilled composure.

(Forgot how clever Ice is... he's such a smart kid. I guess that's why everyone calls him "Iceman Perfect"... all that from Tango, as well! And... my record of insomnia.)

"Clever." He hit the button to exit out of the page he was on. Thankfully, he hadn't accidentally went to any weird sites in his sleep, still lingering on the blog page instead.

(I don't EVER want to remember that one time in March…)

He stood up, remembering to stretch so his motors wouldn't lock up. They did that sometimes, if he didn't shut down properly. Ice zoomed behind him, clambering onto the chair, and switching to his computer user. Comically, the small parka-like robot's legs didn't come anywhere close to touching the ground, instead suspended in space. Elec turned to exit the room, but stopped before he opened the door.

"Ice, don't forget that you've got work at 3..."

He peeked over the top of the chair nervously, saying "Well, sir... I really wanted to finish building this Igloo house with Bubble Man, Toad Man, and Splash Woman..."

He sighed. He was a good kid, but he really needed to pay attention to schedules... Ice had already been late at least twice this month.

"Just don't stay too long on there, kid..." And with that, he left.

Ice turned around to face the computer, unpausing the game as he did so. He inhaled deeply, concentrating on the game ahead of him, thoughts about Elec Man occasionally penetrating his mind. He easily was the most dangerous robot designed by Dr. Light... what with his near lightning-fast speed and powerful electrical attacks, he could take on almost anything. However, Elec did not enjoy fighting all that much, the reason for which he never explained to his brothers.

(Elec is one of the best leaders that anyone could ever hope for, though. Just... don't ever get him mad.)

Biting his lower lip, he recalled a time when exactly that happened... but he only had vague memories at best of the incident. All he remembered was someone else being there... and a lot of flying sparks. He shook his head, not wanting to waste all of his free time with thoughts about Elec Man. Besides, Toad Man was being assaulted by Zombies in the game. Someone had to save him. He hit a button, a determined expression set on his face.

"I'll be the hero you guys need, if you believe in me! I'll live up to Elec's leadership! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOO!"

Neo Olde Gatewater Hotel

Room 404

September 28th, 9:37 AM

Edgeworth came to suddenly, sitting bolt upright, flailing around as something pounced on him. The red dressed prosecutor flailed about, obvious shock and disdain glinting in his eyes at his assailant. He had arrived roughly a week ago to investigate something rather serious. Had someone broken in and tried to silence him because he was trying to find the truth?

"NGHOOOOOOOOOOO! GUMSHOEEEEEEEEEE! HELP!" he tried shoving it off of him, but to no avail. Blinking, as it seemed to be slobbering all over him, he realized who, or more appropriately what, had decided to wake him up.

BARK! Bark... booof?

Missile the Shibe Inu was licking poor Edgeworth's face rapidly, with him sputtering in between slurps for Gumshoe to "get... agh! This stupid dog off of me! Or I'm cutting your pay again! This thing nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The detective in question finally dashed into the bedroom, scooping up the troublesome dog gently up. It continued its mad quest of affection, but this time the recipient quite enjoyed it. The scruffy detective, with his tattered trademark green coat and ridiculous hair, had accompanied Edgeworth here, to Mega City.

"Aaaaawwww! Missile! You can't wake up grumpy Mr. Edgeworth in the morning," He pet the dog happily as it still refused to stop showing affection, "he's super annoyed when he hasn't had his morning tea." Laughing, he set Missile down, who then ran off to presumably eat breakfast.

The "grumpy Mr. Edgeworth" in question flopped back down, searching for his cravat to wipe the saliva off his face. As he was cleaning his face off, he spoke with a cool edge to his voice.

"Detective... remind me why, exactly we had to bring that dog to a city filled with nothing but robots?"

The good Detective had a momentary look of panic cross his face, before stuttering "W-Well... I figured... since we might need his senses to find what we're looking for... y'know, pal, for the case we're building? We do have detectiving work to do!"

Miles flashed him an icy glare. "Don't 'pal' me, Dick..."

"Eeep! O-Of course, sir!" he started to bow and salute at the same time, making him look utterly ridiculous.

Edgeworth's expression remained steadfast, however. "So... that dog eating that octopus last night was detective work?"

He recoiled in shock, looking like a dog that had just been hit. "N-No! He... he just... chewed through his leash, that's all..."

"Really, I honestly felt bad for that robot," he tapped his finger impatiently, crossing his arms as he usually did when interrogating someone, "it had to clean up the entire mess you made because you couldn't afford a stronger leash. You're lucky I was there to pay for the expenses, or otherwise you would be eating trash for the rest of your life." He sighed, "But... it is irrefutable that Missile is required for certain aspects of our investigation, even if... he's easily distractible."

(Much like a certain detective standing right in front of my face...)

Gumshoe took that moment to salute him... for practically no reason. "Thank you, pal! Oh, and we really are truly grateful for the meal last night! It... It was extraordinary! Unlike anything I've ever tasted!" Tears were practically brimming in his eyes as he joyously spoke. "Thank you!" he bowed again, thankfully not saluting at the same time, nearly touching the floor with his forehead.

(Well, you thrive on practically nothing with your salary... except for Ramen Noodles. I... almost feel sorry for you.)

He ignored him, brushing past him to head in the general direction of the kitchen. The detective spun around, confused.

"Uh, pal? Where're you going?"

"This prosecutor's going to get his morning tea, thank you very much."

Dr. Light Labs – Kitchen & Waiting Area

September 28th, 1:34 PM

Rock, better known as Mega Man, had the unfortunacy to walk straight into an argument between two orange, pointy robots. He had little time to react, jumping just in time out of the way of the giant scissors mounted on one of their heads. They were both orange and white colored, but one was bulkier and taller than the other. The one also had what appeared to be a translucent visor over their face, his eyes glistening with obvious rage. For whatever reason, he did not have hands, instead having drill-like objects mounted onto his arms. The smaller one had the aforementioned obvious scissors on his head, which were currently shut tightly upon his head, almost in thought. However, he had the most pathetically annoyed expression on his face.

(Oh no. Not Crash Man and Cut Man again…)

"Scissor-head! You know I get this delivered here!"

"And I'm telling you that that's the wrong copy! It's my magazine, not yours!" The smaller one huffed and looked off to the side. "Yours is still on the table in the kitchen, as far as I know."

"Liar! I already checked there, and it's gone!"

"See, look? My name's on the subscription info thingy on the back here!"

"Then where the heck's my issue?!"

"Well, check again, maybe it's still on the table." Cut Man grumbled. "I don't even understand how you can read without hands."

Crash Man performed the robotic equivalent of a snarl, brandishing his drill-like arm in his face.

"E-EXCUSE ME?! I'll have you know that-"

Rock quickly stepped in between the two again, pushing them away from each other.

"Guys! Let's not fight, okay?" he flashed a cheesy smile, more concerned about how Crash would react rather than Cut.

Crash Man looked off to the side, huffing. "Oh, if it isn't Mr. Everlasting Peace himself. Hey, tell 'im to give my magazine back already! I want to see what the heck they're doing in Japanifornia!"

"Uh, I think you mean California..." Cut broke in, obviously exhausted by the argument.

(Oh no. Cut Man doesn't know about Crash Man's erratic programming, does he? I have to stop this before it turns ugly...!)

"SHUT UP! I KNEW THAT!" He brandished one arm out threateningly, the sharp tip only a few inches away from Cut's face. "AND DON'T INSULT ME!"

"CRASH! I'LL... I'll get your magazine for you..." Rock sighed. This was going to be a loooooong day.

He stopped raging for a second, instead snapping back into a relaxed, chill pose. "Oh! Thank you! I can't thank you enough!"

Rock dropped his arms to his sides, sighing electronically in relief. "And please, don't fight. Do you want me to get the Air Shooter out?"

Crash recoiled, switching to a desperate sounding voice. "N-N-N-No! A-Anything but that! I'll be good, I promise!" he tapped his "hands" together nervously.

He smiled sheepishly, saying "Crash, it's ok, really, I wasn't -"

Suddenly, Crash hugged Cut Man to the best of his ability, the latter looking quite taken aback in bewilderment. "I'll never fight with you again! Don't be mad at me anymore, please?"

"Uh, uh... it's ok, really. I wasn't angry with you at all."

"Y-you mean it?"

"Yeah."

Rock giggled, exiting the room to go find his magazine. He had a hunch where it was, considering.

Crash released his hold, and ran excitedly to the E-Tank fridge. "Hey, I'll have to make us something to celebrate! How about some of my famous burning E-Tanks?"

"Uh... sure?" Cut Man smiled meekly, thoroughly confused by everything that had just occurred.

Dr. Light Labs – Room 008

"Yeah... a little to the left..." A Violet-colored robot that heavily resembled an alarm clock, complete with a clock face secured to his torso, was directing one that appeared to be a UFO. He had a very grumpy sort of face, and the dual bells positioned on his head combined with that reminded one of a mouse. The light-blue triangular gem set into his forehead shone with an internal brilliance, and reflected the face of the robot standing next to him. Elec Man smirked, watching the two try and put up the curtains for him.

"Time, nah, it's a little to the right."

Time Man huffed in annoyance, spinning around to face him. "Really, Elec? That'll hit the standing light! It won't work like that!"

"Well, who cares?"

"You should! This IS your room, after all!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... hey, Galaxy, they're fine right there."

Galaxy Man let out a chirp of delight, quickly hovering over to an open magazine with an article on a Space Center. Elec Man obnoxiously was reading over his shoulder, whistling.

"Wow, never knew you liked that robot so much... heheheh... you should go on a date with her!"

Time Man smacked him in the back of the head, causing him to cry out in pain. "Hush. It's perfectly innocent, Galaxy just likes that robot, that's all."

"Elec... Ponco's really cute... do you... think I set up a date with her?" Galaxy didn't have the capacity to blush, but he would have profusely at that moment.

"Hmmmm... I dunno..." he let his hand fall to his sides. "She's on basically the other side of the world, and really famous, but I'll see what I can do."

Chirruping with delight, he started to profusely thank him. Time Man, being the level headed one, pulled him off to the side.

"Elec, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed. "You can't pull that off, and if you're toying with him, so help me-"

"Relax, Timey," he whispered, motioning for him to quiet down, "I know people, and if it's possible, I will do everything to get him that date. You know me better than that."

They all look up towards the door that moment, hearing Rock's footsteps approaching, and then opening, the door. He walked in, looking absolutely worn out.

"Hey, guys? Crash Man wants his magazine back. He was fighting with Cut again..." he greeted them.

Galaxy spun around, antennas perked up. "Oh! You can have it back! I just wanted to see the article on the space station robots." Extending an arm from underneath his saucer-like body, he snatched up the magazine and handed it to him.

*Techno Fantasy travel magazine given to Mega Man*

Item details: A magazine highlighting various travel sites for people who want to go to technologically interesting sites. This particular issue is all about California, and it is Crash Man's copy.

A distant explosion suddenly rocked the lab, causing the lights in the room to flicker on and off. The lamp in the room fell over, but fortunately did not shatter. Elec immediately ran over to straighten it up, then rushed for the door, calling "Robots! To me!" directing others in times of possible danger came naturally to him, and now was no exception.

Rock blocked the way, telling him to "Calm down, we're not under attack! Crash Man probably just made those drinks again..." Elec immediately halted on a dime.

Time Man groaned, facepalming. "Ughhhhhh... not again. Last time that happened, my taste sensors were fried for about two weeks."

Rock sighed, moving out of the way. "Cut Man's going to have a rude awakening, then..."


	3. Duskfall

[Stopped marking A/N here. You know full well what this is. Oh! Court record will be added to the bottom of the next chapter. Figured I'd wait until an investigation actually started… Heheheh…]

Hotel Lobby

September 28th, 5:37 PM

Edgeworth sighed in deep aggravation, brushing off his stained cravat for what seemed like the millionth time. Gumshoe had unfortunately been his normal, bumbling self at lunch that day... and had spilled the pepper all over the table. Then, in his frantic effort to clean it up, he made it worse by somehow managing to upend an entire bottle of soy sauce all over Miles' outfit. He'd immediately run off to head to the nearest market after he gave him his signature icy cold stare. The Detective hadn't been back since, but had called to say that "I've found the ultimate stain remover, pal! I'll head back as soon as I can!" roughly an hour and thirty minutes ago.

(The idiot probably walked there... I told him I'd cover all the travel expenses, but he never listens...)

The day hadn't been a total waste, however. They had managed to gather a fair bit of evidence for their case, and he had finished another letter to Phoenix. He was old-fashioned like that, believing it more meaningful to send messages via the post rather than electronically. Now, here in the busy lobby of the Neo Olde Gatewater Hotel, he eyed his quarry, his finger tapping his arm impatiently. The subject; a robot who was carefully working on the broken lighting on the elegant fountain in the center. A maintenance hatch was open next to it, wiring visible from his viewpoint. It was a rather strange looking robot, seemingly having been designed after the very bulbs it was tending to. Aside from the oversized bulb that made up most of its head, it also had something blue attached to its chest that resembled a set of light switches. Making careful note of its movements, he pulled out a document to refer to from his briefcase.

Maintenance Report – Cossack Robotics

Subject: Bright Man [DCN. 025]

Date: September 14th

Time: 10:23 PM

Damage: Moderately Severe: right arm missing; deep burns into the metal; light in right eye flickering; data bank loss

Until tonight, I had not believed the rumors of an assassin who specialized in going after robots. That all changed after Bright Man stumbled into the lab, sputtering and clutching what was left of his right arm. Actually, I think it's more accurate to say that it was just... gone. I've never seen anything like this before, and my poor child was sobbing, unable to form even a coherent string of words. Kalinka and Pharaoh Man, thank heavens, immediately rushed in to try and help him calm down so we could get a better idea of what had even happened while I tried to assess the damage. The metal around his shoulder had been scorched black, the paint having been melted completely off in some places. The wiring for his arm looked almost cauterized, with some evidence of short circuiting. There are very few things that can do something like that, but nothing that Bright should ever have come across in his work, unless somehow his servo motor exploded, which is highly, highly improbable. Another thing – he seems to have been traumatized by whatever happened to him that night. All his data banks recorded was a blinding flash of white light. It'll be a while before I can create a new arm and repair the damage, but in the meantime I am going to have Ring Man investigate the incident. I have confidence in his abilities as an investigator.

-Dr. Cossack

Tapping his finger slower now, he could see where the robot had been patched up – some discolored metal on its right shoulder resembled burn scars, and its arm was shiny and definitely brand new. At just that moment, Bright Man suddenly jerked bolt upright, scanning the lobby with deep concern etched onto his features. If he could sweat, he would be doing it significantly at that moment. Edgeworth averted his gaze, focusing on the gilded revolving entrance instead.

(God... that moron better get back soon...)

Habitually, he straightened his cravat. He did that often when he was bored. He stopped, realizing that the robot was staring straight at him, his nervous fidgeting plainly obvious in the now nearly empty lobby.

(Damn. I really must stop that habit.)

He met his gaze, attempting to avert any suspicions that the robot may have now had about him. Fortunately for him, it worked. Bright regarded him oddly for only a few moments more, then went back to turn the lights on, closing the maintenance hatch as he did so. Edgeworth immediately took the opportunity to close in, striding quickly but quietly across the polished floors.

"DCN. 025, I presume?"

The much smaller robot jumped about a mile in the air, a sudden clicking noise reverbrating through the air as his right forearm transformed, turning into a blaster-like object. Edgeworth soon found himself on the opposite end of it, with the owner's face gritted with fearful determination.

"I-I-I'm warning you! D... Don't you dare try ANYTHING!" Bright was trembling, his already childish sounding voice pitching upwards. He couldn't hit Miles if he tried, he was shaking so much.

"Better known as Bright Man," He ignored him, his eyes closed in thought, "a robot created by Dr. Cossack who is meant for the illumination of dark places, or areas without power. Was hacked during an attack on the city, ah, roughly seven years ago?"

"H... huh?..." He shook his head from side to side, trying his best to regain any composure he had. "How do you know so much about me?! I-I'm warning you for the last time, if you're that no good robot killer who's been -"

"Stop threatening me with that pathetic flashlight," he interrupted the bot, who nervously lowered his weapon slightly in response, "I am here to investigate this assassin, along with my partner... who isn't here at the moment."

(It's really to help build up a different case we have, but any leads would definitely assist us.)

"So... so you're here to help us?" He was quiet, but had calmed down by this point. "But... then how did you get all that information on me?"

"I received your schematics and maintenance reports from your creator." He pulled out a paper from his suit and tapped a section. "Right here. Equipped with a flashlight for search and rescue... a massive bulb to quickly light up areas and to serve as a beacon... dimming switches for household use... it's all here." He held up something else too – a ring. "You can trust me. Your... brother enlisted our help."

Bright sighed, allowing his arm to change back to normal.

"I guess... you're here to question me a-about..." he shifted back and forth, clearly unnerved. "That... night..."

Edgeworth merely nodded, glancing off towards the elevators.

"Yes, I do. It's a matter of national importance."

Bond Street

September 28th, 7:34 PM

Elec Man strolled down the brightly lit sidewalk, his systems taking in the cool evening air around him. Sighing in relief, he was completely at ease. He'd always loved this particular route - for several reasons – but it never failed to calm him after a stressful day. All the neon signs gently glowing from the stores lining the way relaxed him, their light reflecting off the symbol on his chest. Certainly, he stood out from the crowd of both humans and robots on the streets that night. That's why if one were to ask him where, exactly, he was headed, no one would have believed that such a fantastic looking robot was going to such a mundane, everyday place.

(Ice better have a good reason for messaging me today, especially after Crash practically destroyed the kitchen... thank goodness Cut'll only need minor repairs.)

Stopping at the corner to turn right, he decided to review the bizarre conversation he'd had with Ice Man after Crash's incident.

_Conversation between VanillaICE and ElecLeader on Sep. 28th, 17:42_

VI: Hey, Elecccccccc!

VI: So, I know you've been visiting everyone else at their jobs so far, but, hey! You haven't come to mine yet! : 3

EL: Alright, you're right. *DRAMATIC SIGH* Would you want me to come tonight? My shift at the power plant doesn't start until 9.

VI: Perfect! I have to fix an AC system at the Nuts & Bolts Grocery Store at around 7:30. Apparently it overheats and even start to crack whenever they try to set the temperature above 55 degrees.

EL: Ugh. I guess you're probably going to enjoy it, then?

VI: Heheheh... maybe.

VI: But... I do have something important I need to tell you.

EL: Really now? What is it, your crush on Roll?

VI: No.

EL: …

EL: Are you feeling okay, Ice?... That's not really your style, to deadpan a response like that.

VI: Yeah, don't worry. But heyyyyyyyy, you'll never find it out until you come over!

VI: Otherwise it's a secret to everybody~

EL: *Sarcastic sigh* Enough with the memes, okay? Can't you just tell me over the messaging system?

VI: I can't, Elec...

VI: I'm sorry, but you'll just have to come tonight. This is important, and I can't risk...

EL: Risk what?

VI: Nothing, nothing... Just get here at around the time I gave you. I have to tell you this in person.

_Conversation ended by VanillaICE at 17:57_

He walked a little faster, no matter what he told himself, he was deeply concerned about Ice's strange responses. Something told him to get there as soon as possible, his systems pumping more air to his motors. Before he knew it, he was there. It really just seemed like a run-of-the-mill store, produce heaped up in one section, frozen foods, a pastry section, seafood... nothing really interesting.

(Probably why he wanted to talk here, I suppose.)

There was almost no one in the store, except for a couple and some strange scruffy guy with a dog. Ice Man was nowhere in sight, though.

(Guess I'll have to go to the help desk, then... he's probably still working.)

There was a young-looking lady with glasses asleep at the counter, and as Elec approached, she snapped awake.

"UH! SIR! THE BANANAS!" she shouted suddenly, blinking sleep from her eyes, having seemingly woken up after having a bad dream. He could make out a nametag attached to her outfit, reading "Maggey". She blushed profusely, having noticed Elec Man.

"A-Ah! I'm so sorry if I scared you sir!" She bowed to him. "You're Elec Man, right?"

"Um, yeah..." Elec said with a good amount of confusion. "How'd you..." He glanced down at his chest.

(Oh. Right.)

"Your friend is down there," she pointed to a door marked "Employees Only", "He went to work about ten minutes ago, he's really such a cutie, though! And so nice, he told me to wait here to direct you 'cause it's out of the way, and-"

"Thanks, miss..." He grinned tiredly. He just wanted to go and shut down for the night, and he knew this lady would ramble on about how cute Ice Man was if he let her.

"You can call me Maggey, Maggey Byrd!" for whatever reason, she did a little salute. "Hey, if you guys finish up early, I'll put in a good word for you! It's the least I can do!"

"Ah, well, I'm not actually..." It was no use. She had already left, going off to help one of the customers.

(What on Earth did Ice tell that lady?! I'm not here to work on anything!)

He sighed loudly, creaking open the door. Greeted by an uninviting staircase lit mostly by a single bare bulb, he started his descent. When he reached the bottom, he couldn't help how harsh the lighting was down here. Bare wiring snaked around the hall, making it seem like he was in the belly of some strange beast. The air down here was warm, but oddly wet and oppressive, further cementing the familiarity. There was something off though... it was dead silent.

(There's no noise. Not what I expected from a basement area... but then again, I haven't exactly been in many basements in my life, now have I?)

He came across a T-Section in that bizarre underground area, turning right. Soon, he was met with a door with a sign that read "Boiler & AC". It was slightly ajar. Stopping for a moment, he searched his thoughts for a good pun. Ice Man and Cut Man had long had a "pun war" with each other, and recently Elec had decided to join in the fun. It'd become a running joke among the three to try and announce their presence with the best pun they could come up with.

(Now let's see… how about "how you doing, you cold criminal?" Meh. It's a nice reference but not really a pun… guess it'll have to do for now.)

He flung the door open, smirking, laughing cheerily.

"Hey Ice! How y… ou…" he froze in place, his joy draining out of him faster than water in a sink.

The sight before him could barely be processed, several patches of ice, water, and slush were all over the floor, broken cables writhed on the floor, some sparking dangerously next to a titanic system marred by scorch marks behind…

"No. Nonononononononono… ICE!" Elec screeched, rushing over to the small, limp face down body in the center of all this chaos. Falling to his knees, he tried to comprehend what he was seeing, Ice Man's back scorched black, same as the machine behind them, his odd coolant pack cracked and disconnected.

"Please… not you… don't be…" He tried to roll him over, but yelped in pain when his hand came into contact with his body. The metal he was formed from was hot to the touch… almost like he had burned out and overheated, much like the AC he was supposed to work on that night. It was enough, though, to see his eyes and confirm Elec Man's worst fears. Those wide, innocent eyes that gave him that childish sense that was so beloved about him… were now a ghostly, dulled white, no pupils visible.

Elec felt himself shudder, staying by Ice's side as if he could be there, stay there, then this nightmare could be over, but soon realized something was dripping down his face. He raised a hand and wiped it away, suddenly noticing that his vision was quite blurred by it.

He was crying.

Painfully, he knew he might have laughed under different circumstances. After all, wasn't crying such a human thing to do?

Between his shaky breaths, coughing from that accursed moisture in this underground complex, he made a vow to Ice Man.

"Ice... I'll... I'll find whoever did this to you..." he sobbed, pressing his head to the (now fortunately only moderately warm) body of Ice Man, "And... and I'll destroy them."

Despite the despair he had just gone through, finding his brother's body, it was going to get even worse for Elec. He hadn't heard the footsteps coming after his terrified scream.

"Hand in the air, pal. I dunno if one can even shoot a robot, but I assure you that I can take you out, no matter what!"

He slowly got up, and turned around, head facing the floor. He watched the rest of the liquid spill off his face and spatter on the floor, mixing in with the snow melt mixture. Letting Gumshoe handcuff his hands behind his back, he was wordlessly led away. But he had seen something in the snow... it wasn't his imagination.

There was definitely something that could hopefully clear his name in there, of that he was sure.

The only issue was that it was frozen solid.

Neo Olde Gatewater Hotel – Room 404

September 28th, 8:10 PM

"So that's all you recall?" Edgeworth had written down their entire conversation onto a clipboard. This was typically Gumshoe's job, but he'd had to make an exception for that night.

"Y...yeah... I never got a good look at the guy's face..." Bright Man wrung his hands, eyes darting about nervously.

"Ah." He gently set down his empty teacup onto the oaken nightstand next to the chair he was reclining in. "The incident happened in this very room, correct?"

"H-how?..."

"Simple. Your reactions to being in this very hotel, for instance. The way your eyes are scanning the room right now. It's just basic logic."

Bright took a deep breath, collecting himself. "Yes... It had been around eight PM... actually, roughly the time right now, and I was finishing up repairing a lamp. Suddenly, there was this noise, like a loud clang, I spun around and I was met with this flash of yellow-"

"Hold it. Flash of yellow?" He leaned forwards, his interest peaked by what he had just said. "I though you said you never saw your attacker's face?"

"I... I didn't. But... I remember yellow..." he tilted his head, thinking. "I can't say, though, all my data of the event's just been horribly scrambled..."

"Out of curiosity, what could cause something like that?"

"Excuse me? Uh... what?"

"Scrambling of a robot's data. I've heard you're experienced in robotic repairs as well."

"Uh... let's see... if I had to guess, probably a massive electric surge. It's quite a frequent issue, actually."

"Hmmm. Okay. One last question."

"Yeah?"

"That lamp over there." Edgeworth gestured to the standing lamp in the corner. "Is that the same one you worked on?"

Bright Man squinted at it, not responding for a while.

"No. It definitely isn't. The other one was designed specially to resemble flowers."

*Bright Man's testimony added to court record*

Item description: Bright Man's testimony about his assailant. Apparently there was a flash of yellow, and a bright, blinding light. The lamp in Room 404 has also been replaced.

"Thank you for your time. You may go now."

"No, the thanks is all mine, sir... we're going to get a bad guy, off the streets, right?"

Miles opened his mouth to respond, but was rudely interrupted by his phone going off. He yanked it out in frustration, hitting the respond button.

(Looks like Gumshoe finally decided to call.)

"Give me a moment." he spoke off to the side to Bright as he set the receiver to his ear.

"Hello there, Gumshoe." Obvious disdain dripped from his voice. "What on Earth have you been doing for roughly two hours and a half?!"

"EDGEWORTH! PAL!" He had to hold the phone a little ways away from his ear, he responded so loudly. "It's... it's bad down here!"

He sighed dismissively, saying sarcastically "Oh, really, Detective? It's bad up here too, without that stain remover."

"Eep! I'll - I mean, I've... already bought that for you! But I'm serious, pal! There's been a murder!"

A slight smile played over his lips as he ended the call with "I'll be right over, Detective. I have to make a call first, though."

He quietly got up, putting his jacket on and headed out the door, leaving Bright Man with more questions than answers.

Detention Center

September 29th, 12:21 AM

No matter what, the events that day just seemed like a horrible dream.

But the full moon behind the bars told him otherwise. It gave him a small amount of comfort, to see something that was a remanent of the time before the murder had taken place. But at the same time, it reminded Elec of exactly how much trouble he had landed in. He laid on the cold rubber mat that they had issued him, not feeling like shutting down anymore. There was too much to consider… and a fear at the back of his mind. Would the attorney he was assigned be able to handle this? He sighed depressingly, willing his concerns out of his mind, deciding that he did, in fact, required sleep. As his systems turned off, only one thought permeated his mind.

(How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Time?)


	4. InvestigationOvercharged

[The Investigation starts now, so the story should pick up the pace a little. (Unlike me, who is quite the slow writer.) Also, I hint at a good few Ace Attorney villains… plus some moments of Time Man getting very irritated. Oh, and 's giving me some irritation about Italicied and Bolded words, so for that I apologize.]

Wright Anything Agency

September 29th, 1:16 PM

Phoenix tossed and turned, being held tightly within the depths of a nightmare. He was seated in a small, plain-colored, sparsely furnished room... facing someone far too horrifically familiar to him. She was a young girl with hair the color of fresh strawberries, wearing an airy light pink outfit. A parasol was clasped gently in her gloved hands, and for some reason, pink butterflies flitted about her near-perfect visage. Disarmingly, she spoke.

"Hello, Pheenie... it's been far too long..." she set her right hand against his cheek.

He felt his heart race just about as fast as a small bird flying for its life away from a killer predator, running... to kill for sport, not for food. In the dream, he was frozen in place. Unlike his metaphorical rabbit, there was nowhere to run.

"Hmmmm... too scared to speak." She withdrew her hand, giggling in an eerie manner.

The bird was cornered now, its heart nearly buzzing with the emotion of fear. The predator was closing in. Behind it, though...

Vaguely he was aware of the scenery shifting, now resembling... a cave laden with blood-red crystals. He got the feeling they were an omen of deep ill.

She threw her parasol off to one side. The butterflies immediately burnt to a crisp as she leapt to her feet. He never heard it hit the floor...

"Pheenie, please tell me you haven't forgotten about us... You didn't think we were done, did ya?" a slasher smile crept across her face, her expression becoming instantly deranged.

Something – no, someone... other people – moved somewhere in the background... not too clear, but not unfamiliar. He recognized the more... guilty ones.

The bird was surrounded. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide...

It perished on the spot from its own fear.

She lunged at him, immediately causing him to wake up bolt upright in a cold sweat, very nearly screaming in pure, unfiltered horror. He hyperventilated for a little bit, and when he had calmed down to a reasonable degree, he realized his phone was ringing. Shakily, he answered, cutting off the Steel Samurai theme right in the middle.

(Th... that's the third time this month! Each time, I keep seeing more and more of that nightmare...)

"Hello? Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Hello, Wright..." A familiar voice cooly greeted him.

"E-Edgeworth?" He gasped partly in shock, and partly from the relief of hearing from one of his friends after the traumatic nightmare he just endured.

"Hmmph. Lost as always..."

"Lost?"

"I believe that you should check the news. Specifically related to Mega City."

"Um, did... did something happen over there?"

"Like you wouldn't even know, Wright... I should tell you I've gotten you some plane tickets."

"Er... what?"

(Could he... just give something to me straight forward for once?)

"You have a case. Gumshoe and I will debrief you when you arrive." Edgeworth hung up on the other end, leaving him with more questions than answers.

(Great. I was supposed to help Athena and Apollo with their case! But, for Edgeworth to call me like that... *sigh* guess I have no choice. It's something really big, then...)

Detention Center

Block B

September 29th, 8:29 AM

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me! Visiting Hours start at eight thirty?! I need to talk to Elec Man, NOW!" Time Man furiously slammed his fists against the reception table, causing the officer in front of him to jump back at least three feet. For whatever reason, he was wearing an odd pair of goggles that seemed to be telescopic, as they slid forwards before sliding smoothly back to normal.

"W-well, see, regulations state..."

"SHUT UP! WE NEED TO SEE HIM RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Crash Man also slammed his "hands" against the desk. Except they continued right into the wood, splintering it, and exploding it from the inside.

The officer quickly disappeared, whimpering something along the lines of "I didn't join the bomb squad for this!"

He loudly sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. "Crash, we've been over this. You can't blow up stuff like that, as much as I wanted to do exactly the same..." blinking, he realized he was alone in the room. He slumped in defeat.

"Wow, this is going to be a looooooooooong day."

(Ugh. Now what? I need to find where Elec's being held, seeing as I'm not going to get directions out of that ridiculous-looking officer.)

A quick glance around the room told him all he needed to know. Off to the left of the desk was a thick door clearly marked "holding cells". He of course, opened it and went in. A darkened hallway greeted him on the other side, plexiglass separated cells evenly spaced on either end.

(Odd. Don't they have an electricity budget for this place? I didn't see any lights on in the lobby, either.)

He more or less knew where Elec was, so he kept his head down, not making eye contact with any of the few visible prisoners.

(Seems like most of them are robots... oh wait, this IS the robot police division. That actually makes sense... except for that one human-looking guy. "RK 800"? What does that even mean? Oh wait... nope, he's standing guard. Never mind. Ah well... betting Crashy McExplodey came this way, so wonder if he already found Elec.)

Stopping, he realized he had arrived exactly where he had needed to be. Elec was in the cell directly to his right, curled up on the rubber mat. Crash Man, however, he noticed with no small amount of annoyance, was nowhere to be seen. Walking up, he tapped on the plexiglass separation to get his attention. It was thinner up close, barely anything between them.

"Elec."

He noticed him stir, sitting up with large, alert-looking eyes.

(Oh. Guess that's why there's no power. It's been a while since this last happened.)

"Elec Man." He tapped again, softer this time.

He zipped up – literally, he was practically was fast as electricity itself – and faced Time Man with an odd amount of hesitation, seeming to... twitch slightly? The light, acrid scent of ozone hung in the air between them, unnerving him slightly. His eyes darted about, pupils shrunken, a panicked look about him... yeah, he was definitely twitching about, not being able to sit still.

(God, the last time I saw him in this state... it's 'cause of Ice Man, isn't it? He's taking his death really hard...)

"It's... it's okay. It's me, Time Man. I came to see you. Crash Man did, too, but he ran off somewhere." He fidgeted, shifting his weight from one leg to another in a rocking motion, smiling nervously in an attempt to maybe help calm him down. "Elec... hey, you've tried releasing that built up electricity, right?"

Nodding rapidly, saying something that was far too fast to catch.

"Ah, that's... alright. Take a deep breath and try again, no one can get a half-competent answer out of you when you're hyper charged like that."

Stepping back, Time gave him some space. The last time this happened, he'd been standing a little too close to him and had almost been fried to molten metal. Despite the plexiglass dividing them... yeah, better safe than sorry. He covered his auditory circuits, though he supposed that wouldn't help much. They'd shut off automatically, anyway – standard protocol for a data overflow like that. Elec froze for a moment, shutting his eyes. That's when he levitated a few inches off the floor, sparks shooting across his body, turning into lightning, electrical power, almost forming a shield around him not too dissimilar to a sci-fi force field, gradually growing brighter till it shone almost as bright as, well... Bright Man.

(Any time now... the noise scares the-)

The air shattered with an explosive noise for an instant, before Time's systems went dark, both figuratively and literally, as his optics had also guarded against the massive burst of light released by his power.

(… crap out of me... Wow, I'm never going to get used to that sound.)

He already knew what had happened before his systems thought it safe to reboot, however, and was not surprised by the giant crater in Elec's cell where the rubber mat had once sat. The lights were luckily back on, though most in the close vicinity had been destroyed. A charred, slightly sickening smell permeated the air, but he was fine, though breathing heavily where he kneeled down within the aftermath, a couple of stray fading bolts flickering about his hands. Jumping to his feet, he smiled contently, stretching out his arm servos. "Aw, thanks for that, Time. That felt pretty good." he snickered. "Course, you jumped like a little scared mouse."

"I-I-I did NOT!" he crossed his arms in an irritated fashion. "And I came to talk to you. Heck."

(WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE SO ANNOYING?!)

He sighed, changing his posture to more accurately reflect what he'd gone through – that is, arms dropped at his sides, and looking quite tired. "I... I don't even really know what to do... well, suppose I can't really do anything at the moment." he glanced off to his left. "Ironic, that an electric robot would be so powerless, huh?"

(He can't even keep up his usual obnoxiousness...)

"Look, we're going to get you an attorney. No one is seriously going to believe that you did this."

"Well, tell that to them." he sighed and pointed to the group quickly making their way over to them, Crash Man being at the head of them, being restrained by two officers. Neither of them was the one with the goggles, Time noted.

(Great. Just. Great. Now it's going to look like he tried to escape, with me helping him!)

"UNHAND ME, YOU FIENDS!" he struggled to absolutely no avail. A detective walked up to him, messing with his glasses in what could only be presumed as an attempt to appear as at least semi-authorative.

"Hey, you two aren't supposed to just walk back here..." he sighed deeply. "I've never really dealt with robots before, but..."

(Ugh... who even is this guy? He's kind of making a fool of himself...)

"Hey, detective, it's okay for the moment. Elec Man's his brother, and they're with me." A familiar blue robot spoke up.

(Ohhhhhhh thank god. Rock's here.)

"But... regulations state, and in the best interest of justice, I-" he started.

"Uh," one of the two officers interrupted, "I don't mean to alarm anyone, but what happened with the detainee?"

Elec Man, who had been staring at his feet until that moment, glanced up guiltily. "Sorry, too much static electricity in here... heh."

Everyone in the room regarded him with a great deal of perplexity.

(Oh come on... they can't be dumb enough to believe that.)

The other officer let go of Crash's arm, and headed off squeaking "I'm going to go put in an order for more rubber."

Thankfully, Crash Man had calmed down enough to not blow up the entire precinct and attempt to level the city... like last Sunday. However, the remaining guy was on the receiving end on one of the most vicious glares that anyone in the history of the universe has ever gotten. He wisely decided to release him and back up slowly towards the detective.

(You know what... any little faith I ever had in the police force just curled up and died.)

"I'll leave these two to you." The detective laughed, saluting for some reason only known to him. "They seem like a handful."

(Can this guy even decide on a single feeling to focus on?! He's worse than a bot with a broken emotion matrix...)

"Okay, detective, I'll take it from here. You two are needed... er, well, Time Man is. Don't worry about Elec Man, Ring Man was supposed to question him anyway."

"Uh, why am I required?" he narrowed his eyes. "Is it for his trial?"

"In all likelihood, yes. A prosecutor named Miles Edgeworth wants to talk to you."

Time Man groaned, muttering under his breath.

(Lovely. Like Elec needs any more trouble.)

Neo Olde Gatewater Hotel

Room 404

9:35 AM

"For the absolute last time, no!" Time Man snarled at the red clothed prosecutor sitting a little ways apart from him with tea in hand. "I refuse to testify!"

Miles sighed dismissively. "Need I remind you, under the present circumstances, that he'll likely be permanently dismantled?" He set the tea off to the side. "The police have reason to suspect him not only in this crime, but several others as well. Including one with a human victim."

"Are you REALLY trying to insinuate that in front of me?! He's not the... ugh! You disgust me, trying to incriminate him at all costs..."

He merely laughed softly in response.

"Are... are you seriously LAUGHING? ABOUT MY BROTHER POSSIBLY DYING?!"

"Ah. Apologies. No, it's just how short sighted you are. I merely seek the truth."

Gumshoe decided it was a good time to break in to their conversation. "Yeah, pal! Edgeworth's only trying to uncover the truth for you! And uh... besides, yeah, if you have vital evidence, pretty sure you're gonna have to anyway."

(Oh, and he's doing SUCH a good job of it.)

"I, and my dear... friend who's arriving tomorrow, it is our job to find the truth. If that means going down an uncomfortable path... well, I've been there before." Something glittered distantly in his eyes... a memory of sometime before, perhaps. "That means thoroughly investigating every last detail of this case, no matter how difficult it may be."

"Hmmph. Right, okay... nah. Still not going to testify. I doubt this defense attorney is even trustworthy, with a name like "Wright". You're just going to twist the story to your own selfish desires... it's just like before."

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Before?"

Time froze for a moment, eyes wide in shock that he had just slipped in his speech. "Forget it... I've said too much."

(Can't give him anymore weaponry than he already has. If I told him about that time that Elec... I don't want to think about it. Ice Man was involved then, wasn't he? It was accidental, sure, but... it could be twisted about.)

They stared evenly at each other, neither giving in for a few moments. Then Edgeworth made a proposal.

"One last thing, then, as we seem to be wrapping up. Since you will be testifying tomorrow, I shall grant you a small favor."

(Yep, he's going to bribe me. I'm a robot, though! What would I even do with a ton of money?!)

"Help Detective Gumshoe out with the investigation tomorrow. Lord knows he'll need it."

"Hey!" Said detective interrupted again, giving a sad, puppy-like face. "I... I'm perfectly competent!"

(Wait what)

Time was taken aback. This, he would have never have guessed in a million years. Wouldn't this hurt the guy's case? If so, then why let him help with his investigation? Sure, it was a bribe... but something felt quite off about this.

(Is this even legal? It is, right?)

"I should note that you will have to be accompanied by someone from the RPF, or Robot Police Force. They will make sure that you are not tampering with evidence and the like." He smiled a tiny, confident smile. "You appear to be a capable robot, with a healthy dose of skepticism. And, I'm sure, you know the truth of this case already."

(Uh... maybe? I think so? Why is this guy so cryptic and obsessed with the truth? What even is that fluttery white thing around his neck?)

"Er... yeah."

"Good. You may go now." He gestured towards the door with his teacup.

(I have more questions than answers now, but... urgh. Guess he got what he wanted. But, if this truly helps Elec Man in some way... I don't really care.)

After Time Man left, Gumshoe spoke up.

"Uhm... if I may ask, pal, why'd you do something so nice for him?"

Edgeworth took a long, exhausted sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Because, detective, that robot's going to need all the help he can get."

"Why's that?"

"I got a call earlier. Phoenix Wright isn't going to make it in time for the trial."

International Airport

2:20 PM

"Oh come on! The flight's been cancelled?" Phoenix slumped over in defeat, whispering to himself, "Words cannot describe how screwed I am..."

"Sir?" The flight attendant gently tapped him on the shoulder. "I've told you, we're experiencing severe engine issues. You have to get off, everyone else did about half an hour ago."

He didn't respond, save for a drawn out whine. She huffed "At least this job is slightly more exciting than I thought it would be."

Since further prodding yielded no different results, she decided upon an ultimatum.

"I'll give you all our complimentary pretzels if you leave right now."


End file.
